Oily Skin Solutions

Oily Skin Doesn't Have To Be A Part Of Your Summer Style

The temptation to use an industrial strength product is understandable. But aggressive tactics only cause those sneaky glands to overcompensate and pump out even more grease.

While oily skin is part and parcel of being an adolescent, many adults find that they’re stuck with a greasy complexion for life. Generally speaking, men tend to have oilier skin around the T-Zone (forehead, nose, chin) where sebaceous glands are packed together, pumping out enough grease to fill a KFC Bargain Bucket. An abundance of oil leads to a host of problems, from persistent breakouts to an all-day sheen (on the upside, oily skin doesn’t age as quickly as drier skin types — you win some, you lose some).

The temptation to use an industrial strength product is understandable. But aggressive tactics only cause those sneaky glands to overcompensate and pump out even more grease. As counterintuitive as it sounds, it is far preferable to opt for a balancing cleanser with a moisturiser that mattifies and isn’t too heavy.

Luckily, Kiehl’s comes to the rescue with a three-step solution: an effective face wash that doesn’t strip skin dry, a toner to mattify shine and an easily absorbed, lightweight moisturizer that doesn’t leave any residue.

A toner is the most needed — and, tellingly, most overlooked — product in an anti-shine regimen. Most guys don’t understand what a toner is supposed to do and, if they do, fewer still can be bothered enough to blot the stuff on using a cotton ball (Kiehl’s has cunningly sold their toner in a spray-on mist for ease of use). A toner, for the record, is a very mild liquid astringent that eliminates oil and seals pores so they’re less visible. If you have oily skin, you really should be using one.

A lot of guys with oily skin find that they don’t need a moisturizer after cleansing. But if you do need that extra hydration, then Kiehl’s 24-Hour Anti-Shine Moisturizer should do the trick. This intelligent gel leaves no residue and feels weightless on skin, thanks to something called "aerolite technology," that was supposedly used in space exploration (who wouldn’t spend their time in zero gravity thinking about the state of their skin?). The magic ingredient in their moisturizer is, Kiehl’s claims, 99.98%... air. The intelligent formula is able to absorb up to four times its own weight in oil while dispersing sweat off the surface of the skin. In addition to all this, it claims to disperse light so that people are less likely to see their own reflection on your oily forehead.

There are, of course, gaps in Kiehl’s new Oil Control offering (which they’ll no doubt fill in in the coming months/years). A clay mask and a decent spot treatment are two products that are well worth investing in if you suffer from oily skin. A clay mask used once a week will mop up excess sebum, preventing the proliferation of breakouts. While they’re not "men’s" products per se, I tend to point a lot of people in the direction of REN’s antibacterial ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser, Anthony Logistics Deep Pore Cleansing Clay and Elemental Herbology’s Facial Detox (their entire line of oil control products are also well worth a mention).

An emergency spot treatment or anti-blemish product that packs in a manageable dose of salicylic acid is also worth applying to isolated problem areas. You don’t want to slather your face in the stuff, though. This key ingredient, in the right concentration, will dissolve oil, unclog pores and reduce inflammation. Origins’ Super Spot Remover and Eve Lom’s Dynaspot treatment both fit the bill.

Finally, if you’re after a really deep clean and don’t mind using a gadget to get the job done, then Clarisonic’s Deep Pore Decongesting Solution Kit is a worthwhile investment. In addition to a cleanser and mask, the set contains the Clarisonic Mia 2, a facial cleansing brush with sonic technology that’s much like a power toothbrush for your face (in fact it was invented by the same brains).

Kiehl’s Oil Control range may be the latest line of products to tackle this age-old problem, but don’t let that stop you from filling in the gaps elsewhere: